Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III turns out of the pocket during the first half of an NFL football preseason game against the New England Patriots in Landover, Md., Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Connor Radnovich)

Almost daily in practice, the Browns defense looks like the Monsters of the Midway, the Purple People Eaters, Gang Green and just about every other colorful nickname great teams have earned throughout the years.
But that label comes with an asterisk because defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s crew has been going against a Browns offense that has difficulty scoring touchdowns no matter who is playing quarterback. Dropped passes have a lot to do with that.
Just how good the defense truly is will be at least partially answered on Aug. 18 when the Browns play the Redskins and their star quarterback, Robert Griffin III, at FedExField on a game nationally televised by ESPN. The game will also be televised on WKYC. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
“We’re happy with where we are, but still have a ways to go,” O’Neil said on Aug. 15. “We’ve got three more preseason games to get where we want to go.”
The Browns’ pass rush has been amped up with O’Neil and head coach Mike Pettine running the defense. Barkevious Mingo, Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard are the key players in the pass rush. They combined for 15 sacks last year.
Pettine and O’Neil were together last year in Buffalo — Pettine as defensive coordinator and O’Neil as linebackers coach — when the Bills set a franchise record with 57 sacks. That was second-most in the NFL in 2013, but the Bills were 20th in points allowed. They gave up 28 passing touchdowns, which also ranked 20th.
“Obviously we want to be better in points allowed, and that’s something that we looked at,” O’Neil said. “We need to be a little better in the red zone. We’ve got to be better with explosive pass plays. It’s something we worked hard on, the staff, when we got here in the spring together to analyze that. We rebuilt some of our coverages to help with some of those problems.”
Some of that rebuilding, but not all of it, should be evident when the Browns face Griffin, though Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden says he might rest RG3 after one quarter.
O’Neil does not want to unleash all the blitzes in his playbook in a preseason game. He wants to save that for the Steelers. But the early part of the game will reveal what the secondary might look like in 2014, because Pro Bowl player Joe Haden and rookie first-round draft pick Justin Gilbert will start at cornerback. Buster Skrine, who had been competing with Gilbert at right cornerback, will miss the rest of preseason with a thumb injury.
Gilbert, from Oklahoma State, played against Baylor twice when Griffin was the Baylor quarterback. Oklahoma State won both games. Gilbert broke up two passes and intercepted one from Griffin.
“It’s like a dream come true playing next to a guy like (Haden),” Gilbert said on Aug. 16. “I’m just going to try to equal up to him and hold down my side of the field because I know he’s going to do that on his side.”
Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are the Redskins starting receivers. Gilbert said he does not know which one he’ll be asked to cover.
The Browns will be without some high-profile players. Defensive end Desmond Bryant is out with a wrist injury. Wide receiver Nate Burleson is expected to miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury.
Josh Gordon’s playing status could come down to a game-time decision. Gordon missed four practices with an abdominal injury but returned to practice on Aug. 16.
Travis Benjamin and Taylor Gabriel could get extended playing time against the Redskins if Gordon does not play. Without Gordon and Burleson, the Browns’ top two receivers are Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins.
Brian Hoyer will start at quarterback. Johnny Manziel will get time with the first unit. Pettine’s goal is for his two quarterbacks to get a similar number of snaps in the first half.
Pettine also said he wants rookie running back Terrance West to get time with the first team. Ben Tate is listed as the starting running back.Injury update
The Browns announced the following players did not make the trip to Washington along with Skrine and Bryant:
Offensive lineman Michael Bowie (shoulder), cornerback Pierre Desir (knee), linebacker Darius Eubanks (shoulder), offensive lineman Randall Harris (knee), defensive back T.J. Heath (hip), linebacker Eric Martin (concussion), linebacker Keith Pough (ankle), cornerback Isaiah Trufant and defensive back K’Waun Williams (hamstring).

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About the Author

Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@news-herald.com
or follow Jeff on Twitter: @jsbrownsinsider.